Gauteng · South Africa
Soweto travel guide
Soweto is a city in Gauteng, South Africa, home to about 1,272,000 people.
- Best months
- March to October
- Nearest airport
- HLA37 km · Lanseria International Airport
- Currency
- ZARrand
- Time zone
- Africa/Johannesburg
- Language
- Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho
About
About Soweto
Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa and one of the suburbs of Johannesburg, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships.
The name Soweto was first used in 1963 to describe the groups of townships to the south west of Johannesburg and is an acronym for South Western Townships. These townships were established after an outbreak of bubonic plague in the inner city slums of Johannesburg in 1904, but under the apartheid government, many black South Africans were forcefully relocated from the city and its suburbs to Soweto and other townships.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Soweto
See
- Nelson Mandela National Museum
- Hector Pietersen Museum
- Credo Mutwa Cultural Village
- Regina Mundi Catholic Church
- Petrus Molefe Eco Park
Do
- Soweto Theatre
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Soweto
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Flossie’s Bed and Breakfast | 5.3 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Soweto
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Soweto are March to October. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; December is the wettest, with about 126 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Soweto: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Lanseria International Airport (HLA), about 37 km from the city centre in a straight line; O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB, 41 km) is also within reach.
Getting in
Most visitors take a tour to Soweto from their Johannesburg hotel. However, you can do Soweto independently, either by car or suburban rail. Take a tour or just drive in yourself using GPS set to Vilakazi Street... the road infrastructure and signage are excellent. Alternatively, take a MetroRail suburban train from Johannesburg Park station bound for either Naledi (for northern Soweto), Oberholzer or Vereeniging (for southern Soweto). There are many stations in Soweto, so check out first which one serves your destination.
Getting around
Most choose to visit Soweto as part of an official tour group by a SATSA-accredited tour guide.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
HLA · Lanseria International Airport
JNB · O.R. Tambo International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Soweto
Stay safe
By and large, contrary to popular belief, Soweto is a pretty safe place for tourists to visit. It is not the easiest place to drive around in by yourself, so if you are going to stay there overnight, get the bed and breakfast owner to meet you on one of the main roads and follow the owner in or get a transfer in. If you are going to do a tour, go with one of the registered tour companies (see above or contact SATSA). Try to make sure that the tour company is using a local Soweto/Johannesburg guide as that makes a better insight to the place and its history.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Soweto: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Soweto?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Soweto are March to October. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; December is the wettest, with about 126 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Soweto?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Lanseria International Airport (HLA), about 37 km from the city centre in a straight line; O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB, 41 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Soweto?
rand (ZAR).
Nearby
Destinations near Soweto
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.